Oktoberfest!

[memento_mods]

Who: Everyone
What: Oktoberfest
Where: Down main street and into the park
When: September 19 to October 4
Warnings: People twirling fiery batons. Keep it PG-13 in this one and take anything higher to the journals.

Comments

[allnaturalmagic]

Terra didn't like crowds, not at all. They made her incredibly nervous and uncomfortable, and since remembering her Esper half those feelings had doubled. She avoided the park for a few days, even though she knew something was going on. Eventually, curiosity got the better of her, and she couldn't stay away any longer.

She kept to herself, slowly walking through the park and taking in the sights. The various performers caught her attention easily, and she was content to stand back and watch them. Their acts were almost magical; she couldn't help but wonder how they were able to do such things without some sort of supernatural aid. Quietly fascinated, she watched a man actually swallow a sword - surely there was some kind of magic involved in such an act!

[shieldofjustice]

Athrun happened to be walking by, a bottle of cola in his hand. He was walking around and drinking the cola as a way of re-energizing himself after a day of work. At the same time, he was looking for people he knew, and he spotted a familiar green ponytail among the crowd surrounding the performers.

"Hey!" Athrun called to Terra as he got closer. "Interested in the performers, are you?"

[allnaturalmagic]

She was so absorbed in the performers that she didn't even notice Athrun until he was next to her. She jumped, then smiled at him. "Athrun! You startled me. I guess I was too distracted." She continued to curiously watch the man that had swallowed the sword. "What kind of magic did he use, do you think?"

[shieldofjustice]

"Magic?" The concept of sword-eaters was not unfamiliar to Athrun, though he doubted whether he had ever actually seen one in action before. "I don't know how he does it, but magic isn't involved. It's some sort of parlor trick."

[allnaturalmagic]

"No magic? Are you sure?" Terra didn't mean to doubt her friend, but she honestly had no idea how such a thing was possible without the aid of some kind of spell.

[shieldofjustice]

"Yeah. This sort of performance is..." Athrun thought for a second, wondering how to put his feeling. "...not unheard of to me. So there's a special trick behind it that has nothing to do with magic."

[allnaturalmagic]

"That's right, you said your world doesn't have magic at all..." What would someone like Athrun think of her Esper side? It was definitely better not to even bring it up, she decided.

[shieldofjustice]

"So, how long have you been down here in the festival?" Athrun asked. "I just came down myself, so I'm still trying to find my way around."

[allnaturalmagic]

"Not very long. There were too many people earlier, and I almost chose not to come, but Colette made it sound so interesting." She looked around, smiling. "I'm happy I changed my mind. What about you?"

[shieldofjustice]

"Well, I would have come down sooner, but I had to work," Athrun replied. "I know where the refreshment stands are, but that's it."

[allnaturalmagic]

"I haven't stopped anywhere... I've just been walking around, really." Terra didn't mention how uncomfortable the crowd made her, but it was plain in the way she occasionally glanced at the growing number of people watching the sword eater.

[shieldofjustice]

This was not lost on Athrun. "Would you like to move elsewhere?" he asked. "I'm sure the rest of the grounds aren't as crowded as this."

[allnaturalmagic]

Terra gave him a grateful smile and nodded. "Yes, I'd like that." She began to move away, visibly relaxing.

[deusexblastia]

Crowds were the easiest thing to get lost in, both to lose yourself and to lose others. And as it was, everyone on the island was here in force. He was upset that the beer was closed, but maybe another day.

And then there was that familiar patch of green hair. He moved through the crowd with more grace than he would usually be seen with, stopping behind her staring dumbstruck at a performer. He silently moved to her left side, leaning in just enough to stay out of her peripheral vision, then tapped her right shoulder.

[allnaturalmagic]

Still absorbed in the act in front of her, Terra had no idea Raven was sneaking up on her. She jumped at the touch on her shoulder, instantly turning to the right. Not seeing anyone, she frowned in confusion.

[deusexblastia]

It was almost adorable watching how confused she was. Did he stay and wait for her attention to shift or call attention to himself? Decisions, decisions...

Raven really hated making decisions. As it stood, he decided to play the game for a bit longer and drifted behind her. If she turned around, a grinning Raven awaited her; if not, he could keep this up for a while.